Monday, February 9, 2009
Friday, November 7, 2008
Get Ready for Submissions!
Expose 7 has called for submissions! All you digital artists, get your gear...in gear! Deadline for submissions is currently the 23rd of February 09. I'm going to be sending them some images and you should too! Happy painting!
Friday, February 15, 2008
Being Published!
The image above was illustrated for the story 8 Across written by Leigh Lundin and is to be published in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine in April of this year. The story is really great and I had a ton of fun coming up with the image based on the text (you'll have to check out the whole story to get all the symbolism). Thanks Leigh!
The door for this job was really opened up for me in May when I met AHMM's Art Director at the Pratt Show. Shortly after our meeting out on the floor I sent her some of my images in B&W so she could show them to her Editors and see how my work would print.
Not hearing from them for a while I had assumed that the lead would stop there. However, out of the blue one afternoon, I got a call from AHMM seeing if I was available. At the time I was freelancing for Elle.com and Greenphotoshop, moving out of my old apartment and into a new one and working on a side project. But, there's no way I was going to pass up that opportunity. So I accepted the job, they sent me the manuscript and I started sketching what eventually became the image above.
It's really exciting to see something you've done published and this is no exception. Perhaps one of the coolest parts of this job is that the story has been excerpted on the mag's website and my illustration has a cozy spot sitting right next to it! I can't wait to get my hands on a printed copy!
Thanks again to Leigh for the kind words and links, everyone over at AHMM that helped out;) and the folks over at Pratt!
Ciao
Monday, September 24, 2007
After Breakfast! (mmmmmmmm delicious breakfast)
Alright, after having a little breakfast and reviewing the last post and it's blatant negativity, I thought I'd expound a bit on the lighter notes that received an unbecoming treatment, especially considering their significance, in my last post.
In that post, I mentioned several jobs that I have gotten since graduation, but neglected to divulge how I got them.
So, here goes.
The comic and "the job that pays the bills" (freelancing for GreenPhotoshop as a Production Manager/Art Director/Business Developer) were both sought out on Craigslist. Believe it or not. I spent a solid 3 months of my summer looking for work. I went to tons of interviews, and applied for jobs I didn't even know existed before leaving Pratt. Nothing came out of any of them. My search wasn't limited to Craigslist by all means, but it seemed to have the best success rate once I set up my email to take advantage of it.
Throughout the job hunt, my resume was constantly being updated at the rate of once a month and I had different resumes for different kinds of work. It seemed to me that, the more resumes I sent out, the more replies I got. My resume was constantly being revised and improved upon. As was perhaps the most important part of the whole process, the cover letter. By the end of the summer, people were replying back to me at the rate of around 1 in 6 instead of the 1 in 20-30 it started out as. Dogged determination wins the day in this case, as well as a better understanding of what jobs my skillset was geared toward securing.
The search also extended to my illustration career and my desire to develop that into a successful enterprise. And, ultimately, the main consumer of my time. To that end, I had much success from the beginning and have continued to have replies/requests for work as an illustrator as well as a painter. Once again, the significance of writing a good solid cover letter has, no doubt, been extremely helpful in determining who looks at my illustration portfolio and who does not.
Aside from that, working for ELLE had more to do with who I know than anything else. My buddy had done work for them before, they needed someone else, he said I could do it, I got the job. No resume. No cover letter. Just a friend vouching for my competence. Pretty sweet.
The only really difficult thing about all this work suddenly being thrown into my lap after the dry spell, has been juggling my time to get the work done. Sometimes doing two jobs at once in order to fit my schedule into the short time that is our average day. All the while, still looking for the next illustration job around the corner for when the current freelance work finishes.
I think that's about it really.
Pretty crazy if ya ask me.
Ciao
In that post, I mentioned several jobs that I have gotten since graduation, but neglected to divulge how I got them.
So, here goes.
The comic and "the job that pays the bills" (freelancing for GreenPhotoshop as a Production Manager/Art Director/Business Developer) were both sought out on Craigslist. Believe it or not. I spent a solid 3 months of my summer looking for work. I went to tons of interviews, and applied for jobs I didn't even know existed before leaving Pratt. Nothing came out of any of them. My search wasn't limited to Craigslist by all means, but it seemed to have the best success rate once I set up my email to take advantage of it.
Throughout the job hunt, my resume was constantly being updated at the rate of once a month and I had different resumes for different kinds of work. It seemed to me that, the more resumes I sent out, the more replies I got. My resume was constantly being revised and improved upon. As was perhaps the most important part of the whole process, the cover letter. By the end of the summer, people were replying back to me at the rate of around 1 in 6 instead of the 1 in 20-30 it started out as. Dogged determination wins the day in this case, as well as a better understanding of what jobs my skillset was geared toward securing.
The search also extended to my illustration career and my desire to develop that into a successful enterprise. And, ultimately, the main consumer of my time. To that end, I had much success from the beginning and have continued to have replies/requests for work as an illustrator as well as a painter. Once again, the significance of writing a good solid cover letter has, no doubt, been extremely helpful in determining who looks at my illustration portfolio and who does not.
Aside from that, working for ELLE had more to do with who I know than anything else. My buddy had done work for them before, they needed someone else, he said I could do it, I got the job. No resume. No cover letter. Just a friend vouching for my competence. Pretty sweet.
The only really difficult thing about all this work suddenly being thrown into my lap after the dry spell, has been juggling my time to get the work done. Sometimes doing two jobs at once in order to fit my schedule into the short time that is our average day. All the while, still looking for the next illustration job around the corner for when the current freelance work finishes.
I think that's about it really.
Pretty crazy if ya ask me.
Ciao
Sunday, September 23, 2007
It's bad, but...it gets better!
So! The summer directly following my...release, capitulation, graduation, or, more appropriately, acceptance into the great and wonderful world of waning wallet sizes, was...well...it wasn't what I had reckoned(I know, but it sounds like a 'w' when you say it!). It was worse.
Woefully unprepared for the upending that I received, along with everyone else who lived in Willoughby, and the unceremonious walk down the block to my temporary abode, I began my summer.
In the beginning Grant created for himself a place to stay and a place to do work (Both of which were in the same room). And, after 107 days and 107 sleepless nights, I was finally able to start paying my bills again! However, at this point I had incurred the wrath of the worst, most gruesomely evil, many headed serpent that has ever been seen on this earth! Every financial institution that this lovely land has allowed me to lavish with my personal information, in exchange for a "lending" hand, had suddenly turned on me! Where once they were so kind, they now acted stealthily, like a ninja, adding fees, increasing debt, calling me to put me on hold and other ninja like activities done behind my back to increase the efficiency of the killing stroke. All of which was done as if they had some sixth sense informing them of my newly acquired position and impending climb out of the hole I'd dug. Almost like they didn't want me to get out from the vast well that constitutes their collective coffers.
On top of that, my landlord, who, like the banks, once seemed like such a nice man, progressively became worse and worse as the days of my summer were whittled away. And now, at the end of summer days, the four of us who gathered under this roof have had it. The keys have slowly begun to hammer the notes of the apartment hunting song once again, in anticipation of our joyous departure from the harrowing experience that was this home.
It wasn't all bad though. I started working on a new comic, posted lots of new stuff to my portfolio, got a job that pays the bills and did some work for ELLE.com (which ought to give me a nice little birthday present in a couple months). Plus! I get to do all of this from the comfort of my own home!
Given a chance to do it again, I would have done a lot more prep about 3 months prior to leaving Pratt so that I wouldn't have had so many snakes snapping at my savings, but I guess that's advice for someone else to follow. Hope it helps!
Till next time!
Ciao!
Woefully unprepared for the upending that I received, along with everyone else who lived in Willoughby, and the unceremonious walk down the block to my temporary abode, I began my summer.
In the beginning Grant created for himself a place to stay and a place to do work (Both of which were in the same room). And, after 107 days and 107 sleepless nights, I was finally able to start paying my bills again! However, at this point I had incurred the wrath of the worst, most gruesomely evil, many headed serpent that has ever been seen on this earth! Every financial institution that this lovely land has allowed me to lavish with my personal information, in exchange for a "lending" hand, had suddenly turned on me! Where once they were so kind, they now acted stealthily, like a ninja, adding fees, increasing debt, calling me to put me on hold and other ninja like activities done behind my back to increase the efficiency of the killing stroke. All of which was done as if they had some sixth sense informing them of my newly acquired position and impending climb out of the hole I'd dug. Almost like they didn't want me to get out from the vast well that constitutes their collective coffers.
On top of that, my landlord, who, like the banks, once seemed like such a nice man, progressively became worse and worse as the days of my summer were whittled away. And now, at the end of summer days, the four of us who gathered under this roof have had it. The keys have slowly begun to hammer the notes of the apartment hunting song once again, in anticipation of our joyous departure from the harrowing experience that was this home.
It wasn't all bad though. I started working on a new comic, posted lots of new stuff to my portfolio, got a job that pays the bills and did some work for ELLE.com (which ought to give me a nice little birthday present in a couple months). Plus! I get to do all of this from the comfort of my own home!
Given a chance to do it again, I would have done a lot more prep about 3 months prior to leaving Pratt so that I wouldn't have had so many snakes snapping at my savings, but I guess that's advice for someone else to follow. Hope it helps!
Till next time!
Ciao!
Friday, June 8, 2007
Pratt Show!
After being selected for the Pratt Show, I had the unenviable task of preparing for the Pratt Show. The weekend prior to the show was full of printing and prepping my prints for presentation. The only major problem I ran into during the whole process was that my business cards were a day late, even though I ordered them the day after I got into the show! I improvised by picking up a couple sheets of business card paper and printed them in Imaging. Luckily the cards and promos came in the next day and I was able to put them up for family night. When I came in the next day everything I'd set out was gone!
At the show I met the Senior Art Director for Dell Magazine and gave her my card. Surprisingly she was there pretty early in the afternoon. I also met several other prospective clients and was recently contacted by someone who'd seen my stuff when I wasn't even there! All-in-all I'd say it was worth the hectic weekend leading up to the festivities. Several of my friends have already been hired by contacts made at the show and one is even doing work for Cartoon Network!!
Check back soon for Post Pratt Show and Graduation!
At the show I met the Senior Art Director for Dell Magazine and gave her my card. Surprisingly she was there pretty early in the afternoon. I also met several other prospective clients and was recently contacted by someone who'd seen my stuff when I wasn't even there! All-in-all I'd say it was worth the hectic weekend leading up to the festivities. Several of my friends have already been hired by contacts made at the show and one is even doing work for Cartoon Network!!
Check back soon for Post Pratt Show and Graduation!
Friday, April 27, 2007
Finals!!!
Finals are finally over!! But there's no time to celebrate. Well, maybe a little. Woot!
Last Tuesday was my last Survey at Pratt. Thanks to everyone who stopped by my post and said hi. Most of you who were there after noon probably saw me diligently finishing a job that was due later that day. You might see that work around campus in the very near future if you keep your eyes peeled;) Now, I'm working on printing things for the Pratt Show and finding an apartment before they kick me out of Willoughby. It's shaping up to be another busy week!
Thanks to Leo Vasquez from The Sound of Art for coming in and hanging out with us in Chang's class on Thursday before Survey. Check out his site for some of the cool events he puts on.
Head over to my blog for some new illustrations.
Last Tuesday was my last Survey at Pratt. Thanks to everyone who stopped by my post and said hi. Most of you who were there after noon probably saw me diligently finishing a job that was due later that day. You might see that work around campus in the very near future if you keep your eyes peeled;) Now, I'm working on printing things for the Pratt Show and finding an apartment before they kick me out of Willoughby. It's shaping up to be another busy week!
Thanks to Leo Vasquez from The Sound of Art for coming in and hanging out with us in Chang's class on Thursday before Survey. Check out his site for some of the cool events he puts on.
Head over to my blog for some new illustrations.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
